Annealing leer



Feb. 5, 1935. E. NALTERS 1,989,957 ANNEALING LEER I Filed June 22,1933 2 SheetsSheet 1 3nnentor Emma-Tr L. mLTEPa attorney Patented Feb. 5, 1935 UNITED STATES" ANNEALIN G LEER Emmett L. Walters, Toledo, Ohio, assignor to Libbey-Owens-Ford Glass Company, Toledo, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Application June 22, 1933, Serial No.'877,129

.14 Claims.

The present invention relates broadly to annealing leers and more particularly to those adapted primarily for the annealing of sheet glass, although not necessarily restricted to such use.

In certain types of sheet glass producing apparatus, the sheet, after being formed, is slowly passed in a generally horizontal direction through a relatively long horizontal leer in the form of a' substantially closed tunnel-like chamber or oven. The sheet is carried through the leer upon any suitable conveying means such as, for example, a series of spaced horizontally aligned rotatable rolls. Suitable heaters placed at intervals within the leer serve to regulate the temperature at different portions from end to end thereof so that the sheet will be gradually cooled and tempered.

When rolls are employed as the sheet conveying means, the opposite side walls of the leer are provided with openings through which the said rolls are adapted to be inserted and removed, and

unless these openings are suitably closed or sealed, unequal heat losses will result therefrom which may adversely affect the proper annealing of the sheet.

An important object of this invention resides in the provision of an annealing leer of the above character embodying novel and improved means for mounting the sheet carrying rolls and for effectively closing or sealing the openings in the side walls of the leer at the opposite ends of said rolls whereby to minimize loss of heat therethrough and prevent the ingress of cold air and drafts.

Another object of the invention is the provision of a leer roll seal which will permit spherical as well as axial misalignment of the leer roll with respect to the openings in the side walls of the leer in all directions within certain limits, such as may be occasioned by un-uniform expansion and contraction of the metal and refractory parts of the said leer, and without breaking thesaid seal.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become more apparent during thecourse ofthe following description when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings.

In the drawings wherein like numerals are employed to designate like parts throughout the same,

Fig. .1 is a transverse section through a portion of an annealing leer disclosing one embodiment of the improved leer roll seal provided by the present invention,

Fig. 2 is a perspective elevation of the leer roll seal illustrated in Fig. 1,

Figs. 3 and 4 are views similar to Figs. 1 and 2 respectively, but showing a modified type of sealing means, and

Figs. 5 and 6 are views similar to Fig. 1, but showing still further modified arrangements embodying the principle of the invention.

With reference to the drawings, the numeral 10 designates in its entirety the annealing leer, a por- 10 tion of one side wall 11 and the top 12 thereof only being shown. Although not completely illus-' trated, it will be understood that the leer 10 is preferably of tunnel-like construction, substantially rectangular in cross section and including a bottom, vertical side walls and a top.

The leer is adapted to be heated in any preferred or well known manner, and the glass sheet or the like to be annealed is carried slowly therethrough upon a series of horizontally aligned rotatable rolls 13.

For the purpose of facilitating the positioning of the rolls 13 within the leer and their removal therefrom, the opposite side walls 11 of the said leer are provided with openings 14 within each of which is inserted a metallic thimble 15 formed at its outer end with an' annular flange'lfi abutting the respective side wall of the leer. Each leer roll 13 is carried upon a shaft 17 of relatively smaller diameter, said shaft projecting at its opposite. ends through opposed openings 14 and being rotatably mounted at each end within a stationary bearing 18 (Fi 5)..

- As pointed out above, it is desirable and in fact necessary to the proper annealing of the glass sheet that the openings 14 be closed or sealed in such a manner as to prevent unequal heat losses as well as the admission of cold air and drafts. According to the present invention, separate means is provided for closing or sealing each opening 14, with such means being so constructed as to permit spherical as' well as axial misalignment of the leer roll without breaking the seal.

Referring now more particularly to Figs. 1 and 2, the means disclosed therein for closing or sealing the opening 14 in the side wall 11 of the leer is designated in its entirety by the numeral 19 and includes an annular bellows-like member 20 through which the adjacent end of shaft 1'7 extends. The member 20 is in the form of a flexible or resilient'container or housing and is made with a plurality of relatively deep circumferential folds or'corrugations 21 so that it is permitted to freely expand and contract. Otherwise Stated, the bellows-like member 20 may be said 5 to constitute a corrugated diaphragm consisting of a series of discs joined at their inner and outer edges.

The member 20 is formed at its inner end with an annular flange 22 through which pass a plurality of fastening elements 23 for securing the said member to the leer wall, said fastening elements also passing through the flange 16 formed on thimble 15. The member 20 is likewise provided at its outer end with an annular sleeve portion 24 carrying a bearing 25 and bushing 26 through which the shaft 1'7 is loosely received.

Disposed between the flange 16 on thimble 15 and the flange 22 on member 20 is a disc 27 formed of some suitable insulating material, said disc having a central opening 28 therein through which the shaft 17 projects, the opening 28 in the disc being relatively smaller than the opening through the thimble 15.

With the above type of annealing leer, and due to the relatively high temperatures existing therein, a certain amount of expansion and contraction of the various portions thereof takes place, and obviously the refractory and metal parts will not expand or contract uniformly. As a consequence, such un-uniform expansion and contraction of the refractory and metal portions of the leer is very apt to result in misalignment of the leer rolls either axially or spherically with respect to the thimbles 15. However, the members 20 are so constructed as to permit spherical as well as axial misalignment of the leer rolls with respect to the thimbles 15 in all directions within certain limits without breaking the seal. The folds or corrugations 21 of the members 20 possess great resilience and can be extended or compressed both spherically and axially so that the said members are very sensitive to any movement of the leer rolls.

Furthermore, such misalignment of the leer rolls will not result in the breaking of the seal as any movement of the rolls causing an expansion of the folds or corrugations of the members 20 at one point will cause a corresponding compression of the said folds at a substantially diametrically opposite point.

The form of invention illustrated in Figs. 3 and 4 is the same in principle as that described above.

. Thus, the leer roll seal here provided includes a resilient member 29 corresponding to member 20, but being formed with a series of'folds or corrugations 30 concentrically arranged with respect to the leer roll shaft 1'7. Otherwise, the construction and operation of member 29 and its association with the leer are the same as member 20 in that it also functions in the same fashion to permit both axial and spherical misalignment of the leer roll without breaking the seal.

The closure or sealing means shown in Fig. 5 is somewhat similar to that of Figs. 1 and 2 in that it also comprises a bellows-like member 31 made of a plurality of relatively deep circumferential folds or corrugations 32 which are very sensitive to any movement of the leer roll. In this case, however, the outer end of member 31 is formed with a sleeve portion 33 secured to the stationary bearing 18 for the leer roll shaft 17. Likewise, the member 31 is provided at its inner end with an annular flange 34 which is clamped between the flange 16 on thimble 15 and a ring 35 by screws or the like 36. A disc 37 of some suitable insulating material is fitted within the outer end of thimble 15 as shown. It will be clear, however, that the member 31 can be compressed or extended either in a lengthwise direction or spherically in the event of un-uniform expansion or contraction of the refractory and metal parts of the leer and roll supporting structure so as to take care ofany misalignment of the leer roll without breaking the seal.

The form of invention illustrated in Fig. 6 is somewhat diflerent from those described hereinabove, although it operates in substantially the same manner and accomplishes the same objects. In this instance, there is arranged within each leer wall opening 14 a thimble 38 projecting slightly beyond the wall as at 39, with the said projecting portion having a circumferential groove therein within which is received a split ring or the like 40. Clamped within the groove, by the said ring 40, is the inner end of an annular closure member 41 preferably of asbestos or some other suitable material, the outer end of said member being clamped within a circumferential groove formed in bearing 42 by a split ring 43. Arranged within the bearing 42 is a bushing 44 through which the shaft 17 is loosely received. A disc 45 of some suitable insulating material is arranged within the thimble 38 and has a central opening therein through which the leer roll shaft projects. The flexible closure member 41 will of course permit a certain limited amount of spherical as well as axial movement of the leer roll in all directions with respect to thimble 38, while at the same time effectively sealing the opening 14 to prevent unequal heat losses therethrough.

It is to beunderstood that the form of the invention herewith shown and described is to be taken as the preferred embodiment of the same, and that various changes in the shape, size and arrangement of parts may be resorted to without departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the subjoined claims.

I claim:

1. The combination with a heated chamber including side walls and a top, said side walls being provided with openings therein, rolls mounted within the chamber for carrying work to be treated therethrough, and shafts for said rolls projecting through said openings, of closure means for the openings carried by the chamber outwardly of the side walls thereof and loosely receiving the roll shafts therethrough.

2. The combination with a heated chamber including side walls and a top, said side walls being provided with openings therein, rolls mounted within the chamber for carrying work to be treated therethrough, and shafts for said rolls projecting through said openings, of sealing means for the openings carried by the chamber outwardly of the side walls thereof and loosely receiving the roll shafts therethrough, said sealing means being of such character that the said rolls may have both spherical and axial movement with respect to the said openings without breaking the seal.

3. The combination with a heated chamber including side walls and a top, said side walls being provided with openings therein, rolls mounted within the chamber for carrying work to be treated therethrough, and shafts for said rolls projecting through said openings, of yieldable means carried by the chamber outwardly of the side walls thereof for closing the said openings.

4. The combination with a heated chamber including side walls and a top, said side walls being provided with openings therein, rolls mounted within the chamber for carrying work to be treated therethrough, and shafts for said rolls projecting through said openings, of resilient means carried by the chamber outwardly of the side walls thereof for closing the said openings.

. wardly thereof and 5. The combination with a heated chamber including side walls and a top, said side walls being provided with openings therein, rolls mounted within the chamber for carrying work to be treated therethrough, and shafts for said rolls projecting through said openings, of means for sealing each of said openings comprising an annular yieldable member carried by the chamber outloosely receiving the respective roll shaft therethrough.

6. The combination with a heated chamber including side walls and a top, said side walls being provided with openings therein, rolls mounted within the chamber for carrying work to be treated therethrough, and shafts for said rolls projecting through said openings, of means for sealing each of said openings comprising an annular resilient member carried by the chamber outwardly thereof and loosely receiving the respective roll shaft therethrough.

'7. The combination with a heated chamber including side walls and a top, said side walls being provided with openings therein, rolls mounted within the chamber for carrying work to be treated therethrough, and shafts for said rolls projecting through said openings, of means for sealing each of said openings comprising a bellowslike member carried. by the chamber outwardly thereof and loosely receiving the respective roll shaft therethrough.

8. The combination with a heated chamber including side walls and a top, said side walls being provided with openings therein, rolls mounted within the chamber for carrying work to be treated therethrough, and shafts for said rolls projecting through said openings, of means for seal ing each of said openings comprising a corrugated diaphragm carried by the chamber outwardly thereof and loosely receiving the respective roll shaft therethrough.

9. The combination with a heated chamber including side walls and a top, said side walls being providedwith openings therein, rolls mounted within the chamber for carrying work to be treated therethrough, and shafts for said rolls projecting through said openings, of means for sealing each of said openings comprising an annular member carried by the side wall of chamber and loosely receiving the respective roll shaft therethrough, said member being made with a plurality of relatively deep flexible folds or corrugations.

10. The combination with a heated chamber including side walls and a top, said side walls being provided with openings therein, rolls mounted within the chamber treated therethrough, and shafts for said rolls for carrying work to beprojecting through said openings, of means for sealing each of said openings comprising an annular member carried by the side wall of the chamber and loosely receiving the respective roll shaft therethrough, said member being made with a plurality of relatively deep flexible folds or'corrugations arranged concentrically with respect to the roll shaft.

11. The combination with a heated chamber including side walls and a top, said side walls being provided with openings therein, rolls mounted within the chamber for carrying work to be treated therethrough, and shafts for said rolls projecting through said openings, of means for sealing each of said openings comprising an annular bellows-like member carried by the side wall of the chamber and loosely receiving the respective roll shaft therethrough, said member being in the form of a flexible container made with a plurality of relatively deep circumferential folds or corrugations.

12. The combination with a heated chamber including side walls and a top, said side walls being provided with openings therein, rolls mounted within the chamber for carrying work to be treated therethrough, and shafts'for said rolls projecting through said openings, of means for sealing each of said openings comprising an annular member carried by the chamber outwardly thereof and loosely receiving the respective roll tive roll shaft therethrough, and a disc of insulating material encircling the roll shaft inwardly of said member.

14. The combination with a heated chamber including side walls and a top, said side walls being provided with openings therein, rolls mounted within the chamber for carrying work to be treated therethrough, and shafts for said rolls projecting through said openings, of means for sealing each of said openings comprising an annular resilient member carried by the chamber outwardly thereof and loosely receiving the respective roll shaft therethrough, and a disc of insulating material encircling the roll shaft in wardly of said member.

EMME'I'I L. WALTERS.

shaft therethrough, said member being made of 

